Embodiments of the inventive concept relate generally to semiconductor memory devices, and more particularly to NOR flash memory devices and related methods of operation.
Semiconductor memory devices are a major component of many modern electronic devices. Examples of semiconductor memory devices include volatile memories, such as dynamic random access memory (DRAM) and static random access memory (SRAM), as well as nonvolatile memories, such as read only memory (ROM), magnetoresistive random access memory (MRAM), and flash memory.
Flash memory has gained increasing popularity in recent years due at least to the propagation of portable electronic devices requiring nonvolatile data storage or kinetic shock resistance. There are two major categories of flash memory with varied configurations and operating principles, known as NAND flash memory and NOR flash memory. NAND flash memories tend to have greater integration density and faster erase and write times compared with NOR flash memories, while NOR flash memories tend to have faster read times.
Because of their different performance characteristics NAND and NOR flash memories may be used for different purposes. For instance, NOR flash memory is commonly used to store information requiring fast access, such as program code due to its fast read time, while NAND is commonly used to provide mass data storage due to its high integration density.